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METALLIC FRICTION

Visualized atom by atom

The processes of metallic asperities moving across each other, which are decisive in most machinery, have been visualized at the atomic scale, revealing unexpected behaviour especially when under tensile stress.

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Fig. 1: Atomic processes at the sliding contact.

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Correspondence to Udo D. Schwarz.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Schwarz, U.D. Visualized atom by atom. Nat. Mater. 21, 140–142 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01115-y

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